Argentina joins international treaty of personal data

By Estudio Chaloupka

The 1981 Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automated Processing of Personal Data, also known as Convention 108, was modernised in 2018 by an amending protocol aimed at ensuring that its data protection principles are still adapted to new technologies and to strengthen its follow-up mechanism.

While the core principles contained in Convention 108 have stood the test of time and its technologically-neutral, principle-based approach constitutes an undeniable strength, the Council of Europe considered necessary to modernise its landmark instrument.

The modernisation of Convention 108 pursued two main objectives: to deal with challenges resulting from the use of new information and communication technologies and to strengthen the Convention’s effective implementation.

The new treaty, known as Convention 108+, was ratified by the Argentinian Congress in March 2023. Argentina has been a State party to Convention 108+ since June 2019.

“The ratification of Convention 108+ strengthens the regulatory framework of our country and grants more instruments for the enforcement of personal data. It implies a significant advance in terms of protection of the privacy of people against possible abuses in the treatment of their data, since this Convention constitutes the most recent international standard in the matter,” stated the Agency of Access to Public Information.